Kibbeh

Ingredients

Shell

• 300 gfine bulgur, grade 1, rinsed and soaked 20 min in cold water
• 400 gvery lean lamb from the leg, all sinew removed, minced twice
• 1small onion, grated to a pulp
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspground allspice
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• ½ tspblack pepper
• ½ tspdried marjoram or dried mint
• ice water, for wetting the hands

Filling (hashwa)

• 300 gminced lamb shoulder, with some fat
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 60 gpine nuts
• 2 tbspsamneh (clarified butter) or olive oil
• 1 tspallspice
• ½ tspcinnamon
• ½ tspAleppo pepper
• 1 tbsppomegranate molasses
• 1 tspsalt

To fry and serve

• 1.5 litressunflower oil, for deep frying
• 200 gthick yogurt
• 1lemon, in wedges
• a plate of mint, radish and spring onion

Directions

1. Squeeze the soaked bulgur dry in your hands; it should be damp and separate, never wet.
2. Work the bulgur, lean lamb, grated onion, salt and spices together, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes, dipping your hands in ice water, until the mixture is smooth, pale and tacky like a dough. In Aleppo this is pounded in a stone jurn, and the paste should hold a fingerprint.
3. Chill the shell paste 30 minutes while you make the filling.
4. Fry the chopped onion in the samneh over medium heat until soft and golden, 8 minutes, add the pine nuts and colour them, then add the minced shoulder and cook until it loses its raw colour and its fat runs, 6 minutes.
5. Stir in the allspice, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper, pomegranate molasses and salt and cook 2 minutes more. Cool completely; warm filling will melt the shell.
6. Take a golf-ball of shell paste, hold it in one wet palm and drill into it with the forefinger of the other hand, rotating the ball steadily so the wall thins evenly to 3 to 4 mm and the shell lengthens into a hollow torpedo.
7. Spoon in a heaped teaspoon of filling, then pinch the open end closed and roll the whole thing between wet palms into a pointed oval with a fine tip at each end.
8. Repeat with the rest, keeping finished kibbeh on a tray under a damp cloth, and patch any splits immediately with a little paste and water.
9. Heat the oil to 170 to 175°C (350°F). Fry in small batches for 5 to 7 minutes, turning, until deep mahogany brown, crisp and floating.
10. Drain on a rack and serve hot with yogurt, lemon and raw vegetables, or at room temperature as part of a mezze.

Technique

• Aleppo claims dozens of named kibbeh: raw kibbeh nayyeh, baked kibbeh bil sanieh, kibbeh in yogurt, quince kibbeh, sour cherry kibbeh. The fried torpedo here is the everyday one.
• The shell mixture must be lean and finely pounded. Fat in the shell melts during frying and the kibbeh split open in the oil.
• Wet hands are non-negotiable. Dry hands tear the shell, and a torn shell always bursts.

Substitutions

• No fine bulgur: medium bulgur ground briefly in a spice mill after soaking will work, though the shell is coarser.
• Kibbeh can be baked instead: spread half the shell paste in an oiled tray, cover with the filling, top with the rest, score into diamonds, dot with samneh and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 35 minutes.
• For a vegetarian version, Syrians make kibbeh bi siniyeh with potato and pumpkin in place of the meat in the shell.

Variations

• Kibbeh nayyeh, the raw version pounded with fresh lean lamb, eaten immediately with olive oil.
• Kibbeh labaniyeh, poached and served in hot yogurt sauce.
• Kibbeh safarjaliyeh, Aleppan kibbeh simmered with quince and pomegranate molasses.

History

Lebanon’s national dish: lamb and bulgur pounded in a stone jurn, then shaped into torpedoes, baked in trays or eaten raw.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kibbeh?

Kibbeh is a main from Lebanon: national dish of pounded bulgur and lamb, fried, baked or raw. Lebanon’s national dish: lamb and bulgur pounded in a stone jurn, then shaped into torpedoes, baked in trays or eaten raw.

How long does Kibbeh take to make?

Kibbeh takes 1 hr of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings, about 20 pieces. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Kibbeh?

Yes, within limits. No fine bulgur: medium bulgur ground briefly in a spice mill after soaking will work, though the shell is coarser. Kibbeh can be baked instead: spread half the shell paste in an oiled tray, cover with the filling, top with the rest, score into diamonds, dot with samneh and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 35 minutes. For a vegetarian version, Syrians make kibbeh bi siniyeh with potato and pumpkin in place of the meat in the shell.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kibbeh?

Squeeze the soaked bulgur dry in your hands; it should be damp and separate, never wet.